USC outlasts ASU on Senior Night

It was a bittersweet moment for senior guard Boogie Ellis and fifth-year guard Drew Peterson Saturday night as the two captains played their last-ever game at the Galen Center in cardinal and gold.

“[We are] always led by Boogie and Drew,” said Head Coach Andy Enfield following the 68-65 win over Arizona State. 

The two guards have led the way for Trojans this year on a team primarily made up of sophomores and freshmen. 

Peterson didn’t even know if he was going to suit up for Senior Night, going so far as to tell teammates he was not going to play at shootaround earlier in the day. 

“I really just tried doing everything I could to get on the floor,” Peterson said.

And even though Peterson played, it was clear his back injury hindered his game. But despite the injury, Peterson logged 31 minutes, scoring 9 points and adding 3 assists. 

While Peterson was not his usual self, Ellis more than made up for that. 

The senior guard scored 28 points to go along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Ellis has been on a hot streak as of late, averaging 22.8 points over his last 11 games. 

“[I’ve just tried] being aggressive, getting in the paint, playing off two feet, creating the contact [and] not letting the contact come to me; just hitting them first,” Ellis said on his offensive mentality. 

Enfield emphaszed Ellis’ metamorphosis into the Trojans’ clear top option on offense. 

“Boogie Ellis is probably the most improved player in the Pac-12,” Enfield said

This game, more than any, was a representation of the Trojans’ season. It was a game that could have easily been lost due to bad shooting and careless turnovers. It was a game that did not start or end pretty, but USC found a way to win regardless.

Throughout the first 12 minutes of the game, USC coughed up the ball 8 times. They looked listless on offense and failed to create high-quality looks. 

That all changed following a corner 3-pointer from freshman guard Oziyah Sellers, which sparked a 15-2 USC run to close out the half. The Trojans took a 29-20 lead at halftime, holding the Sun Devils to 22.6% from the field and 3-14 from beyond the arc. 

Ellis and freshman guard Tre White would lead the way in the second half for the Trojans. White scored an efficient 13 points on 5-7 from the field, weaving through screens and Sun Devil defenders to create open midrange shots.

The Trojans’ defense also clamped down, forcing turnovers and blocking shots as the USC lead ballooned to 14 with 6:23 left to go. 

USC was missing freshman forward Vincent Iwuchukwu and, to make matters worse, redshirt junior center Joshua Morgan was in foul trouble throughout the game. This meant that the Trojans had to heavily rely upon freshman forward Kijani Wright and sophomore forward Harrison Hornery to play in the interior. 

Wright particularly stood out, finishing the night with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. In a game-defining play, Wright turned the ball over but recovered, sprinting back on defense to successfully defend a 3-on-1 fastbreak. He then nabbed the rebound and outletted it out, ending with an Ellis 3-pointer. 

But just as it looked as if USC was going to close out the regular season finale with an easy win, it seemed they reverted back to their first-half issues, turning over the ball and letting the Sun Devils get in the paint.

“[We always] make it interesting at the end, every game we play with Arizona State is close,” Enfield said with a smile.  

USC allowed Arizona State to crawl back into the game, and a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Frankie Collins put the Sun Devils within 2 points with a minute left. 

It was a game of free throws after that, but after Morgan missed his second free throw that would have sealed the game with six seconds left, Arizona State was left with with one last opportunity to tie the game. 

Arizona State junior guard DJ Horne would step back for a game-tying 3-pointer that would bounce off the front iron and the Trojans hung on for the win.

USC will have some time off before the Pac-12 tournament, allowing Peterson to recuperate. They’ll need him as the Trojans look to make a run in both the Pac-12 Tournament and the NCAA tournament. But, for now, Peterson just wants to soak in his final days as a member of the basketball team. 

“I love USC. It’s been an awesome few years and being a part of building this program, just leaving my mark,” Peterson said. “It’s been a great culture the last three years, and hopefully, there’s a lot more to come to USC, but we left it in a good direction.”

With this win, USC now sits (somewhat) comfortably on the right side of the NCAA tournament line. The Trojans finished the year third in the Pac-12 and will play in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night against the winner of Oregon State’s matchup with Arizona State.